Many of the people on this list probably aren't too familiar since few, if any, are active athletes. In 2013, Jason Collins made history as the first active "Big 4" athlete in American sports to announce he is gay. Before Collins, soccer player Robbie Rogers announced he is homosexual. After taking some time off, Rogers signed with the L.A. Galaxy and currently is on the team's roster. Two of the most famous openly lesbian athletes were two of tennis's best female players of all time: Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova. Both of these women are among the most recognized tennis players in the game's illustrious history and have done a lot in raising awareness for LGBT athletes.

Globally, there are a bunch of Olympic athletes on this list. From openly gay soccer players to famous gay sports stars, some of the people on this list aren't households names, but they are definitely making history. Check out this list of all the openly gay athletes in the world.

Graham Ackermanage 34 Graham Ackerman is an American gymnast. In April 2005 he won the national championship in the floor exercise event at the 2005 NCAA Men's Gymnastics championship at the United States Military ...more

Marilyn Agliottiage 38 Marilyn Agliotti is a field hockey player from the Netherlands, having previously represented South Africa. After her move to the Netherlands and award of a Dutch passport, she represents the ...more

Jenny Allard Jenny Allard is a former All-American softball player at the University of Michigan and the current head coach of the Harvard University softball team. Allard played for the Michigan Wolverines ...more

Kye Allumsage 29 Kye Allums is a former college basketball player at George Washington University and a transgender pioneer. He is now a transgender advocate, public speaker, artist, and mentor to LGBT youth. In ...more

John Amaechiage 47 John Uzoma Ekwugha Amaechi, OBE is an English retired basketball player who currently works as an educator and broadcaster in Europe and the United States. In February 2007, after his retirement ...more

Nadine Angererage 39 Nadine Marejke Angerer is a German professional football goalkeeper. She currently plays for Portland Thorns FC in the NWSL. She is also the captain of the German national team. On 13 January ...more

Alyson Annanage 44 Alyson Regina Annan OAM is a former field hockey player from Australia, who earned a total number of 228 international caps for the Women's National Team, in which she scored 166 goals. Annan ...more

Judith Arndtage 41 Judith Arndt is a German professional cyclist for the GreenEDGE-AIS cycling team. She won the bronze medal in the 3000 m pursuit event at the 1996 Summer Olympics when she was 20. In 2004 she ...more

Mianne Baggerage 51 Mianne Bagger is a professional golfer from Denmark. Bagger moved with her family to Australia in 1979, when she was twelve and started to again play golf fully in 1998, first as an amateur ...more

Clare Baldingage 47 Clare Balding is a 2013 Glamour Award winner of the presenter of the year.

Jim Barnettage 73 James Franklin Barnett is a former professional basketball player. He is in his 30th season as a television analyst for the Golden State Warriors.

Betty Baxterage 66 Betty Baxter is a Canadian athlete, activist and politician. She was a member of the women's national volleyball team at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and was later named the team's head coach in ...more

Bill Beanage 53 William Daro "Billy" Bean is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San ...more

Shelley BeattieDec. at 41 (1967-2008) Shelley Beattie was a professional female bodybuilder and actress. At the peak of her competitive career as a professional bodybuilder, Beattie reached the top three at the Ms. International and ...more

Kajsa Bergqvistage 41 Kajsa Margareta Bergqvist is a Swedish former high jumper. She won one bronze medal in the Olympic Games, one gold and two bronze medals in the World Championships in Athletics and one gold and ...more

Thomas Berlingage 39 Thomas Berling is a retired Norwegian football defender. His retirement from football sparked media attention. He hails from Drevja. He played for Nardo FK, and joined Lyn ahead of the 1999 ...more

Mark BinghamDec. at 31 (1970-2001) Mark Kendall Bingham was an American public relations executive who founded his own company, the Bingham Group. During the September 11 attacks in 2001 he was a passenger on board United ...more

John Blankenshipage 70

Sabine Braunage 52 Sabine Braun is a German former athlete in track and field. Because she had talents in several disciplines, Sabine Braun competed in the heptathlon and had a number of successes. Her ...more

Steve Buckleyage 64 Steve Buckley is an English former footballer. His brother Alan Buckley and nephew Adam Buckley also played professionally. In 1974 he was snapped up by Luton Town where he spent four seasons ...more

Brendan BurkeDec. at 22 (1988-2010) Brendan Gilmore Burke was an athlete and student manager at Miami University for the RedHawks men's ice hockey team. The youngest son of Brian Burke, former general manager of the Toronto Maple ...more

Glenn BurkeDec. at 43 (1952-1995) Glenn Lawrence Burke was a Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to 1979. Burke was the first and only MLB player to come out as gay to ...more

Ivan BussensDec. at 47 (1960-2007) Ivan Bussens was a British sportsman who competed at water polo at the Gay Games. He raised the profile of LGBT sport, having co-founded the Out for Sport organisation representing gay clubs in ...more

Jeffrey Buttleage 35 Jeffrey Buttle is a Canadian figure skater. He is the 2006 Winter Olympics bronze medalist, the 2008 World champion, the 2002 and 2004 Four Continents champion and the 2005-2007 Canadian ...more

Latasha Byearsage 44 Latasha Nashay Byears is a former American professional women's basketball player. She played in the WNBA for the Sacramento Monarchs, the Los Angeles Sparks, the Washington Mystics, and the for ...more

J. P. Calderonage 42 John Paul "J. P." Calderon is an American professional volleyball player, model and reality television participant. In 2006 he was a contestant on Survivor: Cook Islands, the 13th ...more

Liz Carmoucheage 34 Liz Carmouche is an American mixed martial arts fighter. Carmouche currently competes for UFC in the women's bantamweight division. Carmouche competed in the first ever women's MMA match in the ...more

Marion Barbara "Joe" CarstairsDec. at 93 (1900-1993) Marion Barbara 'Joe' Carstairs was a wealthy British power boat racer known for her speed and her eccentric lifestyle.

Parinya Charoenphol

Jason Collinsage 39 Jason Paul Collins is a retired American professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for Stanford University where ...more

Natalie Cookage 43 Natalie Louise Cook OAM is an Australian professional beach volleyball player and Olympic gold medallist.

Roberta CowellDec. at 93 (1918-2011) Roberta Elizabeth Marshall Cowell was a racing driver and World War II fighter pilot. She was also the first known British transsexual woman to undergo sex reassignment surgery.

Gottfried von CrammDec. at 67 (1909-1976) Gottfried Alexander Maximilian Walter Kurt Freiherr von Cramm, was a German amateur tennis champion who won the French Open twice. He was ranked number 2 in the world in 1934 and 1936, and ...more

Toller Cranstonage 68 Toller Shalitoe Montague Cranston, CM was a Canadian figure skater and painter. He won the 1971–1976 Canadian national championships, the 1974 World bronze medal and the 1976 Olympic bronze ...more

Orlando Cruz

John CurryDec. at 45 (1949-1994) John Anthony Curry, OBE was a British figure skater. He was the 1976 Olympic and World Champion. He was famous for combining ballet and modern dance influences into his skating.

Donal Óg Cusackage 41 Donal Óg Cusack is an Irish hurler who played as a goalkeeper for the Cork senior team. He is current Chairman of the Gaelic Players Association. Born in Cloyne, County Cork, Cusack first ...more

Steven Daviesage 31 Steven Michael Davies is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper-batsman who currently plays for Surrey. He is a left-handed batsman who opens the batting in both first-class and limited-overs ...more

Carlien Dirkse Van Den Heuvel

Michael dos Santosage 34 Michael Dos Santos is a Brazilian volleyball player who currently plays for Vôlei Futuro men's team. He became the first player in professional volleyball history to come out as gay.

Robert Doverage 61 Robert Jeffrey Dover is an American equestrian who has had international success in the sport of dressage. Riding from the age of 13, he began specializing in dressage at age 19 and competed in ...more

Nancy Drollet

Michelle Duff

Michelle Dumaresq Michelle Dumaresq is a professional downhill mountain bike competitor and post-operative trans woman. She is from Canada and competes with other professional female downhill mountain bike ...more

Imke Duplitzerage 42 Imke Duplitzer is a German épée fencer. At the 2004 Summer Olympics she won the silver medal in the épée competition with her teammates, Britta Heidemann and Claudia ...more

Justin FashanuDec. at 37 (1961-1998) Justinus Soni "Justin" Fashanu was an English footballer who played for a variety of clubs between 1978 and 1997. He was known by his early clubs to be gay, and came out to the press ...more

Gigi Fernándezage 54 Beatriz "Gigi" Fernández is a former professional tennis player, the first female athlete from her native Puerto Rico to turn professional, the first Puerto Rican woman to ever ...more